Bennett Morgan To Receive Lamoriello Award
Former St. John’s Iceman to be Honored Alongside Roger Godin, Keith Hendrickson Luncheon Set for Friday, April 12 in St. Paul
The American Hockey Coaches Association will recognize the career accomplishments of three individuals when the college hockey community comes to St. Paul, Minnesota, for this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Frozen Four. At a Friday, April 12 luncheon, three awards will be presented.
AHCA AWARDS LUNCHEON
Friday, April 12, 2024 at the RiverCentre
Reception starts at 12:00 noon; lunch at 12:30 pm; award presentation at 1:15 p.m.
Tickets @ $40 — Interested attending, contact AHCA Executive Director Joe Bertagna via j2b2hockey@gmail.com
LOU LAMORIELLO AWARD: The Lou Lamoriello Award was established by a group of retired college coaches back in 2004 to honor Lou Lamoriello, the former Providence College player, coach and athletic director, who always welcomed former college mentors when he went on to great success in the National Hockey League. The retired coaches wished to recognize a former college hockey player or coach who went on to greatpersonal success following graduation.
2024 Recipient: Bennett Morgan
Bennett Morgan is the former President and Chief Operating Officer of Polaris Industries Inc. from 2005-2016. Polaris is a global leader in powersports and manufacturer of off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and electric vehicles. The company is headquartered in Medina, Minnesota.
From 2001 until early 2005, Bennett was Vice President & General Manager of ATV’s, Polaris’ largest business, where he was responsible for all facets of the business and P&L. Before that, he was General Manager of the Parts, Garments and Accessories Division for Polaris from 1997-2001. He joined Polaris in 1987 and spent his early career in various product development, marketing and operations management positions of increasing responsibility. B
ennett currently serves as Lead Director of Generac Holding’s Incorporated, as a Trustee for Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict, as a member of The Carlson School of Management-University of Minnesota Board of Overseers and as a Director for the Minnesota Wild Foundation. He was also named Powersports Business Executive of the Year in 2009.
Bennett graduated from Saint John’s University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. He earned his Master’s in Business Administration degree from the Carlson School of Management – University of Minnesota in 1987 with an emphasis in Marketing.
A life-long hockey fan, he played collegiately for 4 years at Saint Johns and was active in coaching for several years. He lives in Excelsior with his wife Sharon and they have three adult children, Jay, Megan and Ty.
The following award recipients were announed in January. They too will be presented with their awards on April 12.
The Jim Fullerton Award — 2024 Recipient: Roger Godin, Minnesota Wild
The Fullerton Award was first presented in 1992. It is named after the former Brown University coach and AHCA president and is presented to a non-coach who contributes to the overall well-being of the sport in the United States.
Roger Godin was named the first director of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame (USHHF) at Eveleth, Minnesota in June 1971. He then worked in non-sports museums in the late 1980’s and 1990’s. In 2000 he was hired by the NHL’s Minnesota Wild to conceive and execute exhibits dealing with hockey in Minnesota and continues in that position to the present time. The exhibits occupy locations on the four levels of the Xcel Energy Center, the Wild’s home arena, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
During these years Godin has done extensive research and writing on the pre-World War II American participation in hockey. Most notably he has written two books: Before The Stars: Early Major League Hockey and the St. Paul Athletic Club Team and Red, White, and Blue on Ice: Minnesota’s Elite Teams and Players of the 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s. As a member of the Society for International Hockey Research (SIHR) he has also authored numerous monographs a sample of which are those dealing with 1933 United States National Team, early American stars Hugh “Muzz” Murray and Gerry Geran, the 1928 Boston University Club Team, the 1934-35 Baltimore Orioles, and the 1940-45 San Diego Skyhawks.
The John Mariucci Award — 2024 Recipient: Keith Hendrickson, Virgina (MN) HS
The Mariucci Award, named after the iconic Minnesota player and coach, recognizes a secondary school coach and was first given out in 1988.
Keith Hendrickson spent 26 years (1985-2011) as the Virginia High School head coach, which included multiple conference and section championships, state tournament appearances. His Blue Devils were perennial favorites for the Section 7A championship. Beyond his coaching success, his contributions to the overall hockey program in Virginia were inspirational. He spearheaded huge fundriaing efforts that resulted in a second sheet of indoor ice being built, the installation of artificial ice a few years later and an arena weight room. The result was increased hockey participation at the youth ranks despite declining enrollment in the schools.
Keith was also very active in Minnesota Hockey. He coached several High Performance teams and was twice coach of Team Minnesota at the Chicago Showcase. In 2006, along with Herb Brooks, Jack Blatherwick and Ted Brill, he wrote the blueprint for the first Satellite Training Program, which became the model summer hockey training program in the state of Minnesota. He has received a number of prestigious awards for his body of work, including the 2003 Dave Peterson Award, given by Minnesota Hockey, and the 2023 Cliff Thomson Award, given by the Minnesota Wild.
A decorated athlete at Virginia HS in both football and hockey, Hendrickson went on to play for his uncle, Gus Hendrickson, at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Keith is now a scout for the Vegas Golden Knights.
